1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to copolymers that facilitate nucleic acid analysis.
2. Description of the Related Art
Immobilizing nucleic acid molecules on a solid surface facilitates nucleic acid preparation and analysis, especially in a high throughput format. An exemplary nucleic acid preparation and analysis system is the Direct Plate Prep system in which the lysis of blood takes place in a PCR plate coated with a DNA binding polymer. The DNA extracted from the blood binds to the polymer on the plate. The plate can then be washed, and PCR can be initiated by adding the necessary ingredients for the reaction. A similar product was available from Trinity Biotech PLC. The so-called “Xtra-Amp Plates” are coated with silica, and the lysis of a biological sample and binding of the nucleic acid extracted from the sample to the coated plate may be performed by the use of chaotropic salts.
As described above, the presently available nucleic acid preparation and analysis systems require that the vessels where nucleic acid extraction and/or analysis takes place be pre-coated with a DNA binding polymer. Accordingly, there is a need in developing simpler and/or more efficient systems.